The Latest: Ortiz leaves Dominican Republic on air ambulance

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This article was published 09/06/2019 (2341 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The latest on a shooting that injured former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz (all times local):

6:25 p.m.

Ex-Red Sox slugger David Ortiz has left the Dominican Republic aboard an air ambulance en route to Boston after the retired player affectionately known as Big Papi was shot by an attacker at a bar in his native country.

Ortiz spokesman Leo López said Monday that the 43-year-old athlete was in stable condition but in intensive care after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine. He said Ortiz’s liver was also damaged in Sunday night’s shooting.

Ortiz is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston, a fearsome power hitter with a ready smile. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.

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5:45 p.m.

David Ortiz has left a hospital in the Dominican Republic aboard an ambulance bound for the airport for a flight to Boston after the former Red Sox slugger affectionately known as Big Papi was attacked by a gunman at a bar in his native country.

Ortiz spokesman Leo López said Monday that the 43-year-old retired athlete was in stable condition but in intensive care after doctors removed his gallbladder and part of his intestine. He said Ortiz’s liver was also damaged in Sunday night’s shooting.

Ortiz is one of the most beloved figures in sports history in the Dominican Republic and Boston, a fearsome power hitter with a ready smile. He led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs.

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2 a.m.

The Boston Red Sox say they have been notified by the family of David Ortiz that the former slugger sustained a gunshot wound to his “lower back/abdominal region” and that he is recovering after surgery.

The Red Sox, in a statement early Monday, say they have offered the Ortiz family “all available resources to aid in his recovery” and that they will continue to keep them in their hearts.

Authorities say the 43-year-old Ortiz was shot at close range in an ambush at a bar in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday.

Ortiz’s father says his son is out of danger and that the bullet did not hit any major organ.

Officials say the alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. They say police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.

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1:15 a.m.

The father of former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz says his son is out of danger after being wounded in a shooting at a bar in the Dominican Republic, and that the bullet did not hit any major organ.

Leo Ortiz, speaking outside the Abel Gonzalez clinic, says he has no idea why someone would have shot at his son.

Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte says Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when he was ambushed by a gunman who approached from behind and shot him at close range.

Bautista says Ortiz underwent surgery and his condition was stable.

He says the alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. He says police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.

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12:05 a.m.

Authorities say former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at nearly point-blank range in his native Dominican Republic.

Dominican National Police Director Ney Aldrin Bautista Almonte says Ortiz was at the Dial Bar and Lounge in Santo Domingo around 8:50 p.m. Sunday when the gunman approached from behind and shot him.

Bautista says Ortiz underwent surgery and his condition was stable.

He says the alleged gunman was captured and beaten by a crowd of people at the bar. He says police are waiting until the man undergoes treatment before questioning him.

Jhoel López, a Dominican TV host, was with Ortiz when he was shot. Bautista says López was also wounded, apparently by the same bullet.

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11:20 p.m.

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Former Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz was shot and wounded in his native Dominican Republic, his father told ESPN on Sunday night.

Leo Ortiz told ESPN.com that Ortiz was shot while at an entertainment centre in Santo Domingo.

“They called to tell me that David is injured and that they took him to a medical centre, but they did not tell me how he is or exactly where he was transferred,” Leo Ortiz said, adding: “At the moment, everything is confusing.”

Dominican TV station CDN 37 reported that Ortiz was shot in the back after initially reporting he had been wounded in the leg.

The 43-year-old hit 541 homers in 20 major league seasons, including 14 with the Red Sox. He helped lead Boston to three World Series titles and retired after the 2016 season. He was a 10-time All-Star and World Series MVP in 2013.